Clinical trials in personalised medicine

An infant receiving a tuberculosis vaccine undergoing a clinical trial in South Africa. While traditional clinical trials usually compare two groups of patients – one on the new drug and one on a placebo or comparative drug, an n-of-1 trial compares the alternating effect in one patient when they take the new drug and when they stop taking it. Photo: The Star

In the American medical TV series House (2004-2012), eccentric doctor Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) and his team regularly deal with what start out as idiopathic diseases, i.e. diseases of unknown cause.

Of course, in TV land, the doctors usually manage to figure out the cause within 40 minutes or so, and save the patient’s life.